Governing Body Information

Haddon Heights was incorporated as a Borough in March 1904 under an act of the New Jersey Legislature.

A municipality in New Jersey derives its authority from the State Legislature under Title 40 of the Revised Statutes, which mandates that municipalities enforce certain state regulations in matters of finance, law enforcement, education, health, and welfare.  However, state laws encourage “home rule” by permitting a local government to enact ordinances suitable for its own needs if they do not conflict with state or federal laws.

The Borough Hall, located at 625 Station Avenue, is the seat of Haddon Heights’ government.  It houses the various local government administrative offices, the Police, Mayor’s Office, Council Chambers, Municipal Court, and meeting/conference rooms.

Municipal offices are open Monday – Friday, 9:00 Am - 5:00 PM, excluding holidays.

Since it became a Borough, Haddon Heights has been governed by a Mayor and six (6) Council members who are chosen through partisan elections held in November annually. The Mayor is the chief executive officer and the six Council members handle legislative functions. A full-time Borough Clerk assists the Mayor and Council and coordinates the operations of government departments.

The Reorganization Meeting of the governing body is held on the first Saturday in January. At this meeting, the newly elected Council members take the oath of office and a Council President, who serves as Acting Mayor when the Mayor is absent, is elected by the Council.  Appointments for the coming year are announced by the Mayor and confirmed by the Council when required by law.

Regular public meetings are held the first and third Tuesday of the month, unless other wise noted.  The public is encouraged to attend and comments from the audience are part of the Agenda and are listed under “PUBLIC COMMENT for Agenda Items” and “PUBLIC COMMENT on Non-Agenda Items.”

Work sessions will take place the 1st Tuesday of the month with regular business meetings being held the 3rd Tuesday of the month at 7 p.m.  The public is encouraged to attend, and comments from the audience are part of the agenda and are listed on the agenda under “comments from the public on agenda items” and “remarks from the public.” Caucus meetings are held on the same night as the business meeting and begin at 7 p.m.  Citizens are welcome to attend work sessions to observe, but may not participate. The Council reserves the right to close work sessions in accordance with state law to discuss personnel or legal matters.

The governing body focuses on two major areas of consideration at their meetings, whether a work session or a public meeting, in addition to other items that come to their attention. The first major area deals with financial matters affecting the operation of the Borough, specifically appropriating money and approving expenditures. The second major area deals with the laws of the Borough of Haddon Heights, called “ordinances”.  Potential ordinances are discussed at work sessions and then introduced at a public meeting.  It is the responsibility of the Borough Clerk to publish the ordinance in the designated official newspapers under “Public Notices”.  This alerts the public to the action being considered by the governing body.  It includes the date, time and place of the public hearing at which the interested public can ask questions and offer comments on the particular ordinance. Following the public hearing and the adoption of any amendments to the ordinance, the governing body then votes to adopt the ordinance and it becomes law.

Anyone wishing to have a matter considered by the Mayor & Council should send a letter addressed to them, in care of the Borough Clerk, to 625 Station Avenue, Haddon Heights, NJ 08035.  The Borough Clerk schedules the item on the work session agenda and distributes copies of the correspondence to the governing body, the Borough Attorney and to the appropriate Borough Departments to obtain information necessary for the Council to make an informed decision.  When a decision is made, the Borough Clerk is directed to relate the decision to the inquiring party.